.. stop all the the emptyhead refugees from the Jeremy Kyle Show in the audience from clapping along to practically every dance !! They sit there clapping along ( on 1 and 3 usually !) like a bunch of demented sealions begging for fish at a theme park show FFS ! If that's not possible then teach them to clap properly.. on 2 and 4 !

I think they're put there to drown out the noise of some of the caterwauling singers.

Couldn't agree more. This is a particularly annoying trend in light entertainment telly over the last few years (and presumably has come over from America). We especially don't need to have them clapping over the bloody theme music!

you try not clapping when you're in the audience and you get a "telling off"

Perhaps they're the only ones sad enough to laugh at Fumblingy Forsyth's jokes!

If you have ever been to a recording of Strictly Come Dancing you will know that you are told to clap and whoop, practically all the time. I was there last night (and I'm neither an emptyhead nor a refugee from the Jeremy Kyle show!) and they recorded Vincent and Flavia's dance twice (no, it wasn't live!) because there was not enough of a reaction from the audience at certain points. So blame the floor manager for all the clapping and cheering!

Then we need more of it, not less!

That's different though - that's the spontaneous bursts of applause at well-executed moves, which I don't mind so much, but what the OP is referring to is the moronic clapping along to the music of the songs, which is completely unnecessary.

I agree. It's particularly grating when people clap along to a tango, because it completely ruins the atmosphere the dance is trying to invoke.

A TV studio is generally such a sterile and soulless place that without audience reaction it can be hard to get things going.

I suspect the celebs are grateful for all the clapping as it makes it seem like the audience are really involved in their dance, which in turn helps performance.

And as said, if it drowns out some of that singing then I'm fine with it

EDIT: And no, I have never been on, or in the audience of the Jeremy Kyle Show. My gay brother who is sleeping with my boyfriend and is about to adopt my mum's surrogate baby wouldn't allow it

Why don't they clap on the off beat? It sounds much better and isn't so irritating or tiring for the clappers. (And clap, and clap!)

They even do it at funerals now usually after some ghastly bit of music such as "My Way".

No offence meant... you can obviously clap along to a piece of music on beats 2 and 4 in the bar and not beats 1 and 3.

None taken the warm up guy does tell you to clap along to the music and picks out people who are not doing it and makes fun of them! So all the people in the front row were probably clapping because they were scared not to!

Ha! Annsyre, I'm not sure I can believe you, but either way, you're clearly marvellous.

Just adding my 2 pence...this is my pet peeve about Strictly...people clapping is bad enough, but they clap on the wrong beat! It's so annoying.

This shouldn't be a complaint against the people in the audience, but at the floor manager or whoever is in charge of 'Warming up the audience' etc - as it's his lead the audience follow.

I would prefer them to stop clapping (especially when, not only do the clap on the wrong beat, but also out of time with the music) but be encouraged to call out encouragement.

At 'real' dance competitions, spectators don't clap, but they do yell out their favourite couples' name and number, and the noise can be quite deafening. Sometimes it can get a bit much, but when there is no noise at all, the atmosphere goes completely dead.

Oh God , that would do my head in !! i couldnt bear that at all , that ok maybe at the football match but to have shouting during SCD would ruin it for me

Goodness, they would never allow someone that normal on the show. Think of the ratings, oh God won't somebody think of the ratings??

I am sure someone was once asked on ITT if clapping along could put off the dancers and the reply was that if people wanted to clap they should clap on the off beat i.e. the 1 and 3 beats. I can't remember more that that (e.g. who said this), but it did stick in my mind.

Whoever said that needs to learn the difference between on- and off-beat.

That's just the way I've put it. so it is probably me that doesn't know the difference then.

I can take the clapping but cringe at the off tone singing....or them ending before the actual dance.....ekkkky

The clapping annoys me too

Yes you have these ble*ding floor managers yelling at the audience to cheer and clap, no doubt under orders from the BBC bosses. I despise the way these moronic fools running all live programmes seem to think we the viewers enjoy all this excessive noise from the audience .

Why can't they let the audience alone to enjoy a programme and if a performance is exceptionally good you can bet people will clap and cheer of their own free will. Why can't they treat people like intelligent adults who do not need to be told when to cheer and clap.